The jobs that blind and partially sighted people do

Author: Alex Saunders, RNIB

February 2015

Contents

List of figures

List of tables

1. Executive summary

2. Introduction to the main report

3. Employment statistics

4. Methodology

5. Definitions and terminology

6. Review of current knowledge

7. RNIB employment outcomes between 2011-2013

8. RNIB work-based assessments between 2001-2008

9. Conclusions

10. References

11. Appendix one

12. Appendix two

13. Appendix three

14. Appendix four

List of figures

Figure 1: A percentage breakdown of employment outcomes in each major occupation group between 2011-2013

Figure 2: A percentage breakdown of new job outcomes according to employment sector between 2011-2013

Figure 3: A percentage breakdown of new job outcomes according to the size of employer between 2011-2013

Figure 4: A percentage breakdown of jobs held by clients who received a work-based assessment in each major occupation group 2001-2008

Figure 5: A percentage breakdown of work-based assessments according to employment sector between 2001-2008

Figure 6: A percentage breakdown of work-based assessments according to the size of employer between 2001-2008

List of tables

Table 1: Percentage and actual number of employment outcomes in each major occupation group between 2011-2013

Table 2: Percentage and actual number of employment outcomes in each sub-major occupation group between 2011-2013

Table 3: Percentage and actual number of people who received a work-based assessment in each major occupation group between 2001-2008

Table 4: Percentage and actual number of people who received a work-based assessment in each sub-major occupation group between 2001-2008

Table 5: LFS secondary analysis: employed working age population, seeing difficulty and disability, by occupation - aggregated over 12 quarters from Oct-Dec 2011 to Jul–Sep 2014

Table 6: SOC destination of blind and partially sighted graduates from 2006-2010

Table 7: Standard occupational classification of disabled graduates by disability 2009/10

Table 8: RNIB 2008/09 job outcomes by employment sector

Table 9: Research from Nigeria - the number of people employed in each employment area, and details of specific jobs in that field

1. Executive summary

1.1 Purpose of this report

RNIB are frequently asked; “What jobs do blind and partially sighted people do?”The purpose of this report is an attempt to answer that question by presenting an extensive range of jobs performed by people with sight loss.By adding to the existing evidencebase, and consolidating what we already know, this report illustrates how blind and partially sighted people succeed in a wide variety of jobs in almost all employment sectors.

The report presents new findings from an analysis of data taken from the records of RNIB's Employment Services,for more than 500 blind and partially sighted people in work, plus a review of existing knowledgeand published data. It also highlights areas where further research could take place.

We hope the report will provide encouragementto blind and partially sighted people trying to findor stay in work;those planning or wishing to develop their career; and for employers and employment professionals supporting individuals on this journey (for example, employment advisors, vocational rehabilitation workers, occupational health providers). It may also help counterbalance preconceived ideas about what careers are suitable for people living with sight loss.

1.2 Overview

Blind and partially sighted people are significantly less likely to be in paid employment than the general population or other disabled people. Only one in three people of working age registered as severely sight impaired (blind) or sight impaired (partially sighted) is in paid employment. They are nearly five times more likely than the general population to have had no paid work for five years.

Blind and partially sighted job seekers face additional barriers to employment due to the functional impact of sight loss. As a result, people with sight loss need specialist support on their journey towards employment.

Those in employment also face serious challenges. A significant number of non-working registered blind and partially sighted people said that the main reason for leaving their last job was the onset, or deterioration, of sight loss. Many in this situation also said that they might have been able to continue in their job, given the right support.

However, despite these challenges, blind and partially sighted people succeed in a wide variety of jobs in almost all employment sectors. This report confirms this by presenting new evidence from records of RNIB's Employment Services, relating to over 500 blind and partially sighted people in work. For the first time, there is a breakdown of occupation to 25 sub-major categories of standard occupational classification (SOC) as defined by the UK Office of National Statistics. This is well illustrated in appendix two, where each of the individual job titles has been listed.

At this stage it has not been possible to compare the findings from records of RNIB's Employment Services with those of disabled people as a whole, nor with the general population, as found in the Labour Force Survey. Further research is therefore recommended to make this comparison.

Nevertheless, when data from RNIB's Employment Services is combined with the inventory of job titles, job descriptions and personal testimonies described in appendices three and four, this huge body of evidence provides insight into almost 1000 different jobs being carried out by people living with sight loss. Our findings support those in other published research, which demonstrates that blind and partially sighted people are employed in all nine major SOC occupational groups. At the same time, it challenges prescriptive notions about the kinds of industries and types of jobs blind and partially sighted people might be working in.

It should be noted however that presenting evidence about the types of jobs blind and partially people actually do, in no way infers that these are the only types of jobs that this group of people can or should do.

1.3 Key findings

The following key findings have been drawn from the original research outlined in this report, and therefore relates to those blind and partially sighted people who have been supported by RNIB's employment services in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales from 2011 - 2013, or for whom RNIB carried out a work based assessment in the South West region of England between 2001 and 2008.

  • People with sight loss work in every major category of employment. Data from RNIB'sEmployment Services add to published findings from the Labour Force Survey, the Network 1000 reports and from the Association of Guidance and Careers Advisory Services, which show that blind and partially sighted people are employed in all nine major occupational groups.
  • Blind and partially sighted people supported by RNIB typically work in professional, associate professional, and administrative roles. Nearly three-quarters (73 per cent) of all work-based assessments carried out were for blind and partially sighted people working in just three of the major occupational categories: administrative and secretarial occupations; professional occupations; and associate professional and technical occupations. Fifty-six per cent of employment outcomes (ie people who found new jobs or were supported to remain in their existing job), were in those categories also.
  • Administration is a common employment destination for people with sight loss supported by RNIB. Administrative occupations were the single largest sub-major category of employment for blind and partially sighted people supported by RNIB.
  • Blind and partially sighted people supported by RNIB aremost commonly employed by large organisations. Eighty-two per cent of work-based assessments carried out were for blind and partially sighted people working for large organisations. Fifty-six per cent of people supported into new jobs were also destined for large organisations.
  • More than half of blind and partially sighted people who received a work-based assessment from RNIB between 2001 and 2008 were professionals or associate professionals. People working in professional occupations accounted for approximately one-in-three work-based assessments (31 per cent) carried out by RNIB between 2001 and 2008. A further 20 per cent were in associate professional and technical occupations.
  • Blind and partially sighted people who received awork-based assessment from RNIB between 2001 and 2008 typically worked in the public sector. Fifty-six per cent of work-based assessments carried out were for blind and partially sighted people working in the public sector.
  • One in four employment outcomes for blind and partially sighted people supported by RNIB are in administrative and secretarial occupations. The largest employment category was in administrative and secretarial occupations, accounting for more than a quarter (25 per cent) of all employment outcomes for blind and partially sighted people.
  • A typical destination for blind and partially sighted people supported by RNIB into new jobs between 2011-2013 was the non-profit sector. During this time, forty-six per cent of new job outcomes were for blind and partially sighted people working in the non-profit sector, with only 11 per cent in the public sector.

1.4Methods

This report presents new evidence, drawn from records of RNIB's Employment Services, about the jobs blind and partially sighted people do. There are two main data sources:

  • RNIB employment outcomes data: an analysis of data from 2011-2013 recording new job outcomes, plus jobs that people retained as a result of RNIB support, in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales. From 2011-2013 employment teams across those three countries supported 207 people into new jobs and 303 people to retain their existing job.
  • RNIB assessment data: work-based assessments carried out in theSouthWest region of England from 2001-2008.There are 282 records in this data set.

Both data sets were analysed using SOC, produced by the UK Office of National Statistics(ONS2000; ONS 2010) - a widely accepted framework for categorising jobs. The jobs performed by blind and partially sighted people are presented at the level of 9 major and 25 sub-major classification groups (listed in appendix one).

Any ambiguous records were removed from the samples (for example, where it was difficult to categorise the job role according to the ONS classifications). Each job title was compared with, and then allocated to, a unit group level, of which there are 369. Further analysis was carried out (when available), which categorised each job according to job sector (public, private, non-profit, self employed), and size of the employer (micro, small, medium, large). Further details can be found in the relevant sections.

Caution should be exercised in generalising these findings however, as the records of RNIB's Employment Services are limited to specific geographical areas, and restricted to those people referred to, or presenting as customers or clients of, RNIB. The sample is therefore not necessarily representative of the wider UK population or other countries.

Whilst the main body of this report draws evidence from records of RNIB'sEmployment Services, we have also reviewed academic papers, large-scale population surveys, and personal case studies, drawn mainly from third sector organisations working with blind and partially sighted people. Although the research primarily focussed on the United Kingdom, we also considered the jobs that blind and partially sighted people are doing in other countries as well. This review of knowledge is summarised in the main body of the report, with more detailed information contained in the appendices.

Appendix two, for example, includes extensive lists of the types of jobs blind and partially sighted people carry out in the UK, and appendix four describes the type of jobs carried out in different parts of the world.The appendices also contain evidence that comparesthe occupations of blind and partially sighted people with that of other disabled people, and with the general population. Appendix three contains sections on the UK Labour Force Survey(LFS) and the Association of Guidance and Careers Advisory Services (AGCAS), which are especially useful.

1.5Terminology

The following terms and definitions are used in this report:

  • RNIB employment outcomes data: this is the general term used to describe data collected in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland from 2011-2013. It includes two different kinds of outcomes achieved by RNIB employment professionals working with blind and partially sighted clients. These are new job outcomes, and clients supported to remain in their existing jobs, described as retention clients.
  • New job outcomes: a new job is any role, regardless of hours worked or length of contract, that a client has secured with RNIB support.
  • Retention clients: a retention client is someone RNIB has supported to remain in work.
  • RNIB assessment data: this is the general term used to describe work-based assessments carried out in the South West region of England from 2001-2008.
  • Work-based assessments: a work-based assessment is a specialist service delivered by RNIB, which involves a visit to a workplace by an employment or accesstechnology specialist, to evaluate the potential for workplace adjustments that allow a blind or partially sighted person to better fulfil their role.Work-based assessments are carried out for a range of blind and partially sighted people, such as:
  • individuals who have just started in a new job
  • individuals who have been in a role for some time and areadjusting to recent sight loss
  • individuals who have changed jobs as a result of recent sight loss.
  • Large employers: defined as having more than 250 employees.
  • Medium-sized employers: defined as having between 50 and 250 employees.
  • Small employers: defined as having between 10 and 50 employees.
  • Micro employers: defined as having less than 10 employees (European Commission, 2014).

2. Introduction to the main report

RNIB are frequently asked; “What jobs do blind and partially sighted people do?”The purpose of this report is an attempt to answer that question by presenting an extensive range of jobs performed by people with sight loss. By adding to the existing evidence base, and consolidating what we already know, this report illustrates how blind and partially sighted people succeed in a wide variety of jobs in almost all employment sectors.

The report presents new findings from an analysis of data taken from the records of RNIB's Employment Services, for more than 500 blind and partially sighted people in work, plus a review of existing knowledge and published data. It also highlights areas where further research could take place.

We hope the report will provide encouragement to blind and partially sighted people trying to find or stay in work; those planning or wishing to develop their career; and for employers and employment professionals supporting individuals on this journey (for example, employment advisors, vocational rehabilitation workers, occupational health providers). It may also help counterbalance preconceived ideas about what careers are suitable people living with sight loss.

3. Employment statistics

3.1 UK working age population

There are approximately 84,000 registered blind and partially sighted people of working age in the UK (RNIB 2014a). However, according to the LFS, around 113,000 people of working age in the UK self-report that they are “long-term disabled with a seeing difficulty”.Included in this population are people with the most severe sight loss (ie people on the register), and in addition, those who may not be eligible for registration but whose sight loss still impacts on their ability to work or the job they can do (Hewett with Keil, 2014).

3.2 UK working age employment figures

There are two main research studies that focus on the employment status of people with sight loss. The Network 1000 reports (Douglas et al, 2006; 2009), which draw from a representative sample of people who are registered as blind or partially sighted; and RNIB's secondary analysis of the LFS (Hewett, 2013; Hewett and Douglas, 2011; Hewett with Keil, 2014; Hewett with Keil, 2015; Meager and Carter, 2008).

3.2.1 Network 1000

The main report from Network 1000 (NW1000) presents a summary of data collected through 1,007 interviews with blind and partially sighted people in Great Britain. The interviews were carried out between spring 2005 and spring 2006.

Registered blind and partially sighted people are significantly less likely to be in paid employment than the general population or other disabled people. Looking at people of working age in 2008, 33 per cent of registered blind and partially sighted people were in paid employment, compared to 77 per cent of the general population (Clements and Douglas, 2009).

People registered as blind or partially sighted are more likely to have been without paid employment for longer than the general population. In 2008, 55 per cent of registered blind or partially sighted people were "not in paid employment for five years or more" compared to 12 per cent of the general population (Clement and Douglas, 2009).

3.2.2 Labour Force Survey

The LFS divides blind and partially sighted people into two groups:

  • People who through self-report are defined as “long-term disabled with a seeing difficulty”.
  • People who through self-report are defined as not disabled, but who have a seeing difficulty. These people state that their sight loss does not affect the type of work they can do or the number of hours they can work.

The employment statistics taken from the LFS relate to people defined as, “long-term disabled with a seeing difficulty”. The LFS found that employment rates were approximately 46 per cent for people “long-term disabled with a seeing difficulty”, compared to 72 per cent of all working age people. Lower levels of employment amongst people who were “long-term disabled with a seeing difficulty” were found even when age was taken into account. That is, across all age bands in the LFS, people who were “long-term disabled with a seeing difficulty” were less likely to be in employment compared to all working age people (Hewett with Keil, 2014).